It was a crucial moment in Shakespeare’s classic tragedy, Julius Caesar, when a soothsayer alerted Caesar, the Roman Leader, that his life was in imminent danger. “Beware the Ides of March!!!” he shouted in warning to Caesar as he passed him on a busy street. But Caesar not heeding the warning, continued on his path and was eventually killed by his colleagues in a heinous act of conspiracy. His death was a turning point in Roman history and today, the date of March 15th remains a significant date on the Roman calendar and the Ides of March serves as an annual symbol of caution.

As the first quarter of 2018 comes to an end, allow me to share with the you same words of advice that Julius Caesar received that day – “Beware the Ides of March”.

Many of us raced into the new year with a list of new goals we planned to achieve this year. We took our time. Thought them out. And even mapped out our #GoalDiggerAlerts! Although our plans to execute were sincere, many people (self-included) find ourselves already off schedule.

I realized this a few weeks ago as I was leading one of my goal setting workshops. While helping a young lady refine her goals for 2018, I realized I wasn’t even on track to reach my own. Later that evening, I looked at my vision map and discovered that of the five goals I established for myself for 2018, I’ve only made progress on a few. Of course, I have “good reasons” why I’m off-track, but the bottom line is that I’m off track. No need to sugar coat it. I have to hold myself accountable.

At that moment, I realized that like Caesar’s life, my 2018 goals were in imminent danger. But, since I know about Caesar’s tragic ending, I’m going to take proactive action to make sure my goals stay alive.

So, here’s what I did. Anytime I find myself off schedule or missing milestones, I use this process to help me figure out how to get back on track:

Pause-Reflect-Choose.

Pause – Slow down. Life happens fast. Most of the time we are moving so fast and are inundated with so much data that we don’t take time to process. Take a moment. Catch your breath. Relax. Clear your mind. Give yourself an opportunity to think. To breath. Let your mind be still. This is one of the many reasons I enjoy exercise, meditation, prayer, and yoga because if I don’t intentionally take time to slow down. I probably won’t. My mind is always moving.

Reflect – After you’ve slowed yourself down, go back and revisit your goals. Think about your why. Why you set them. Were they important? Why are they worth your time? Do you really own the goals or did they just sound good in the moment when you created them? When you created your goals, did you factor in resources? Do you need to adjust your timelines? What options do you have to get back on track? Be honest with yourself.

Choose – Once you have paused to slow down. Reflected on your options. Now, it’s time to TAKE ACTION. Make a choice. Do something. Be thoughtful about what you do, but be intentional about doing it. Dive in. You will never learn to swim by sitting at the edge of the pool.

Time is moving fast. March 15th is here. Some of our goals are in danger. Now is the time for a progress check. The days are getting longer and the seasons are changing. Soon it will be summer. Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner. Don’t go into 2019 without making any progress on your 2018 goals. The time is now. Be proactive.

What you do for the next 30 days is critical. If you are off track on your goals it’s not too late to change course. Not too late to refocus. Not late to make a change. Now is the time for an honest conversation. Take the time you need. Get the clarity you need. Take the action you need. Pause, reflect, and choose. Beware… the Ides of March. The warning has been given, the next move is yours.

Don’t get it confused! Being an entrepreneur is not all that its cracked up to be. Sure some days you will find yourself taking flights to beautiful cities, staying in nice hotels, and wining and dining clients at fancy restaurants. But there are plenty of days when you will be tired, grumpy, and frustrated. You have do things you don’t want to do and go places you don’t want to go. One week you’re at the bank cashing checks, the next week you have to find a coinstar as you wait for the checks come in. As an entrepreneur you have to kill what you eat. You sacrifice. You miss time with families, events and parties with friends. You lose sleep. Miss opportunities. And constantly ask yourself “am I doing the right thing?”. You will stumble, you will fall but make sure you get back up. If you believe in yourself, your vision, your plan and surround yourself with people who support you. You can reach your goals. And realize your dreams.

The dream is free, but the hustle is sold separately. So hang in there. Keep hustling. And when it gets tough – remember your why. Why you do it. Why you sacrifice. Why you grind. Why you struggle. Why you hustle. Remember that a calm sea never made a skilled captain. And success doesn’t happen overnight. The process may be long, slow, and painful but you have to trust it. It will be all be worth it.

Whatever you are working for, whatever your hustle is – business, school, sports, careers or anything else. Don’t stop until you find success. Keep pushing. Keep fighting. Keep believing in yourself and in your dreams. But MOST importantly keep a stash of coins somewhere just in case you need them.

You can do it. I believe in you! I’ll meet you in the winner’s circle.

Like this:

Quick Story: This afternoon I was having lunch with my cousin at one of my favorite local restaurants. As we talked our waiter approached and asked to take our order. I remembered the waiter from many of my previous visits, but hadn’t seen him for some time so when I greeted him I joked about his absence. He replied that he was doing well but only recently beginning to recover from some serious health issues.

He shared that shortly before Christmas he had a sore throat. It lasted for a few weeks but instead of going to a doctor he self-diagnosed his ailment as strep-throat. To cure it he began taking a variety of “holistic” remedies. He drank a lot of juice, tea, hot-toddy. He sucked on lemons, added ginseng to his drinks and made a couple of the concoctions he’d read about on-line.

Having not gotten any better and not wanting to get his co-workers or customers sick he finally decided to go to the doctor. After running different tests the doctor informed him that the sore throat that he was experiencing wasn’t from strep at all but he was actually suffering from an early onset of diabetes.

The doctor also explained the remedies he thought he was taking to improve his condition had caused his blood sugar level to spike so high that he could’ve had a stroke or died. (Note – he was trying to help his situation by doing something, but ended up only making things worse. That feels familiar.)

After a brief stay in the hospital he was released on Christmas Eve and is now on the road to getting healthy and learning to improve his diet and exercise regimen.

Moral of the Story: There is power in asking for help! No matter how smart we think we are or how hard we try, we can’t do it all on our own. Let me let you in own a little secret – it’s ok to ask for help. It isn’t a sign of weakness rather it’s a sign of strength. Don’t let your pride or ego get in your way. And don’t the allure of appearing ok stop you from actually being ok.

Life may look great on social media, but the reality is we’re all trying to make it. And we can’t always do it alone. There are plenty of people in our lives, our network, and in our circle who are willing to help us. Don’t let fear or embarrassment of asking for help stop you from getting what you need.

Success is waiting for you so make sure you have people around you who can help you go get it! Just don’t be afraid to ask.